A Short Convo With… Zac Posen

Lifestyle

Last night, Zac Posen teamed up with Saks Fifth Avenue to launch his lower-priced line Z-Spoke. The collection is for the woman who might not be making twirls on the red carpet but who make heads spin down the street. Unlike some of Posen’s dresses from his namesake collection, there’s nothing even remotely unwearable here—every piece is carefully thought out to look and feel special but not break the bank.

You’ve got plenty of separates like smart sweaters and feminine skirts with a retro ’70s vibe coming through in pops of color like kelly green, pink and red. Cirôc sponsored the booze (a little-known fact is that P. Diddy was one of the first investors in Posen’s line) while guests like Pat Cleveland and Rose Byrne came out to support.

VIBE.com caught up with Posen to speak about the Z-Spoke collection.

VIBE: How does Z-Spoke differ from your personal vision?Zac Posen: Well its less expressive, less emotional and less loud vision. A collection for me is about collecting. As I find these pieces they become part of an archive. They are about the craft and celebration of making fashion and clothing. However, this is about making everyday fashion; which is fun sophisticated, sexy, minimal and utilitarian.

Who were you envisioning as the customer when making these pieces? We really wanted to expand our customer. So it’s really about a mindset and a creative woman. A woman that is on the go, someone who is very active, fearless and ready to take over!

Was it harder for you to do a more mass-market collection? No, It was much easier for my whole studio and me. We always taking techniques that we’ve developed over the years. In terms of how to construct clothing and use the best of these that would work into this collection and really create a new look.

How do you feel about celebrity dressing? I think it’s a great way to build your name as a brand. It’s also good if you feel strongly about someone ‘s performance or as a person. Then it becomes a real experience making the collaboration process exciting.

Is there anyone you want to work with right now? Well I’ve always loved Cate Blanchett and I think Chloé Sevigny is doing a great job—she’s a friend of mine and I’m super proud of her. —Adrien Field